Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Chula Vista, CA: Police: Dying agent identified estranged husband as her killer

CHULA VISTA (CNS) - A dying Customs and Border Protection agent identified her estranged husband as the person who stabbed her in an Chula Vista apartment she shared with her boyfriend, with whom she was expecting a child, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing Wednesday.

Jesus "Alex" Arteaga Garcia, 30, is charged with two counts of murder for the Dec. 10, 2009, slaying of Maribel Arteaga and her fetus. Garcia also faces child abuse counts because the killing took place in front of the 28-year-old victim's 4- and 6-year-old boys.

The defendant fled to Mexico after the killing but was extradited to the United States last July.

Garcia faces special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and multiple murders, which makes him eligible for life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

In order to ensure the defendant's extradition, authorities in the United States had to agree not to seek the death penalty, prosecutors said.

The first officer on the scene after the victim was stabbed testified that he recorded a conversation with her because he thought that she might not live.

"I truly believed that she was dying," Chula Vista police Sgt. Carlos Valdivia testified.

Valdivia said he found the victim lying on the floor in the apartment and tried to comfort her because he thought she was bleeding internally.

In the recording, which was played in court, the victim told Valdivia that her estranged husband stabbed her in the back with a knife and that he was mad at her.

Witnesses told authorities that Garcia frequented Mexico and had family there. Garcia was sheltered by his sister and parents in Northern Baja California until his arrest in Tijuana in January 2011, authorities said.

The victim's boyfriend, Carlos Orga, also a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, testified that he met the victim just before they went to Georgia for training in June 2009.

"We started hanging out together while we were at the academy (in Georgia)," Orga testified.

Orga said he and the victim -- who were both married at the time to other people -- moved in together in Chula Vista in October 2009, and the following month found out she was pregnant with his child.

The boyfriend said he'd never met his girlfriend's estranged husband and would go in the bedroom when Garcia would come over to visit the children.

The night of Dec. 10, 2009, Garcia knocked on the door while Orga and the victim were watching television, Orga testified. He said he went to the bedroom and heard the victim call to her children to come outside.

Orga said he next heard a commotion and a bang and the victim came in with the children and closed the door.

"She told me, 'Alex stabbed me,"' Orga testified.

Orga said he saw blood on her shoulder and grabbed his gun to see if anyone was outside, but found nobody. Once back inside, Orga said he called 911.

The witness said the victim's children seemed scared and were crying. The older boy kept asking, "Is she going to be OK?" Orga testified.

One of the boys also said something like, "My dad killed my mom," he said.

Orga said that after the training in Georgia, the victim told him that she had sent a photo of them to her sister and Garcia had seen it.

The witness admitted that the victim's children were told to refer to him as "Joe" so they wouldn't slip up in front of their father.

South Bay Judge Alvin Green Jr. will decide at the conclusion of the preliminary hearing whether there is enough evidence to order Garcia to stand trial.

Omaha, NE: Trial opens in supermarket slaying

Sidney S. Andersen acted out of "revenge and anger," not self-defense, when he allegedly shot and killed his daughter's ex-boyfriend last year, a Douglas County prosecutor said Wednesday.

During his opening statement in Andersen's first-degree murder trial, prosecutor Rob MacTaggart said Randall J. Grimm, 25, was shot twice in the head and once in the chest outside the Hy-Vee Supermarket near 78th and Cass Streets.

MacTaggart said Andersen claimed Grimm pulled a gun on him. However, "there was a gun laying next to Mr. Grimm's body, and it belonged to the defendant."

Andersen's attorney, public defender Tom Riley, said Andersen sought the help of authorities after Grimm threatened his family -- but they didn't arrest Grimm.

"(Grimm) basically threatened to kill the defendant, his daughter, his three children, his mother, his daughter's friend and her child," Riley said. "He felt what he did was protect his family. This guy had terrorized them for the last three days."

Andersen, 41, of 17629 Josephine St. in Sarpy County, is charged with first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony in the Feb. 28, 2011, slaying.

Grimm wanted to meet Andersen at the Hy-Vee, where Andersen's daughter worked, to settle a dispute over money. Grimm claimed she owed him money that the two had in a joint back account. Riley said Grimm told Andersen to meet him at the store -- or else.

Andersen's daughter and Grimm had broken up a few days earlier, and there had been a history of domestic violence and abuse between the two.

MacTaggart said Andersen should have done what he apparently set out to do -- let police handle the situation. Earlier that day, he had called Sarpy County sheriff's deputies, who contacted Omaha police and asked them to wait for Grimm in Omaha at the Hy-Vee.

But Riley said the store's surveillance tapes showed a squad car circle the parking lot and leave. The officer didn't go inside, where Andersen was waiting, Riley said.

Omaha police detective Dave Schneider testified that Grimm asked Andersen, "You got my money?'' and then left the store to call police.

Schneider said Andersen replied, "The cops are on the way. It's over."

Andersen then shot Grimm, Schneider said.

Riley called Grimm a "manipulative abuser" who made Andersen feel like a "sitting duck."

But MacTaggart reminded the jury that Grimm, despite the bad things said about him, wasn't on trial.

He said police told Andersen not to meet Grimm at Hy -Vee. Instead, he said, Andersen took two pistols and a pair of rubber gloves and took matters into his own hands.

"This," the prosecutor said, "is not a case of self-defense."

World-Herald staff writer Roseann Moring contributed to this report.

Georgetown, SC: Georgetown murder trial: Defense offers guilty plea, then withdraws

GEORGETOWN S.C. — The excitement of Christmas week was shattered for a 10-year-old child and his family in 2009 as he watched his father gun down his mother’s boyfriend in their apartment on Rainey Drive in Georgetown.

That is the testimony the jury heard Tuesday on the first day of the murder trial of 31-year-old Antonio Thomas.

He is accused of shooting and killing 31-year-old Irone Michael Canteen inside the apartment of his ex-girlfriend two days after Christmas in 2009. Canteen — known as Mikey — was the boyfriend of Thomas’s ex-girlfriend, Ramona Reed.

Thomas, represented by Stuart Axelrod, is charged with murder, burglary, assault and battery with intent to kill and kidnapping.

It looked at first as if there would be no trial.

Before the jury was seated Tuesday, Axelrod told the judge that Thomas had decided to plead guilty to the charges. However, when he was asked if he wanted to enter a guilty plea, Thomas said, “No sir.”

Also, the judge questioned a witness who said she saw one of the jurors in the case speaking with family members of Thomas during a lunch break Monday.

That juror was brought into the courtroom and, when asked, denied having any conversations with the family.

Deputy Solicitor Erin Bailey said because of the testimony by the witness, the juror should be excused from the case but Axelrod said the juror appeared to be honest and should continue to serve.

The judge allowed the juror to remain on the panel.

During his opening remarks, Deputy Solicitor Brad Richardson said Thomas “pressed the gun” against Canteen’s head and pulled the trigger.

Child testifies


The 10-year-old son of Thomas and Reed was the first to take the stand on behalf of the state.

With a very noticeable nervousness in his voice, he told what he saw on the day of the shooting.

He said he and his brother, mother and Canteen — known as Mikey — were in the apartment when Thomas burst through the door.

“Mikey was going to the door. The door opened. It was a shadow on the wall. I heard fighting,” the child said.

He told the jury he saw his dad holding “a shiny object” which he later testified was a gun.

“He pulled it out. I heard a ‘POW’ sound. I saw Mikey on the floor,” he said, adding he and his brother ran to the nearby apartment of Shanelle Green for safety.

It was also said while the child was on the stand there was a struggle between Thomas and Canteen before the gunfire.

That testimony resulted in further questioning by Axelrod.

“Is it true Mikey swung first at your daddy?” Axelrod asked.

“Yes sir,” the child answered but when asked a second time, he said “no.”

“Is it true Mikey started beating up your daddy that day?” Axelrod asked to which the child said he did not know.

The child also testified he was at his uncle’s house the day of the shooting when his dad showed him a handgun. However, he said he does not remember his dad making any verbal threats.

Testimony of Reed

Reed, who dated Thomas for about ten years before breaking up with him in 2008, testified she had a restraining order against him so he was at her apartment illegally.

She also testified there were times Thomas threatened her after their breakup.

“He said he would shoot up the house with me and the kids in it,” she said.

Reed said on the day her boyfriend was killed, she had left the apartment to go to her mother’s house to get some banana pudding.

About 10 minutes after she returned Thomas “burst” through the door. She said Canteen was on the phone talking with her mother when Thomas forced his way inside.

She said after Thomas shot Canteen, she ran out the door with Thomas in pursuit. Outside she tripped and fell and then Thomas stood over her.

She said Thomas pointed the gun at her but did not pull the trigger.

Richardson, during his opening, said Thomas ran off when he heard voices outside.

“But for guardian angels, she would be gone too,” Richardson said.

The state also called other witnesses Tuesday, including law enforcement officials.

The case resumed at 9:30 a.m. today and is expected to conclude Thursday. Read updates on this Website under “breaking news.”

Portsmouth, VA: Man dead, woman wounded in shooting at Portsmouth home

PORTSMOUTH -- A man killed himself after shooting a woman at her home in Portsmouth early Wednesday.
Police were called to 5 Canoe Court around 5:30 a.m., according to police dispatchers.
A man who lives nearby said he heard four or five gunshots early this morning.
Police spokeswoman Det. Jan Westerbeck Loring Larry Walker, 41, who lived on Gateway Drive, shot himself after shooting the woman in a domestic dispute.
People say he was in the Navy and has an 18-year-old son in high school.
The woman, whose name wasn't released, is in stable condition with wounds to her abdomen and lower body.
Friends say she isn't the teen's mother. Neighbors say the family moved in less than a year ago.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Milwaukie, OR: Trial set for Milwaukie man charged in attempted murder-suicide

Trial for a Milwaukie-area man charged with killing his ailing live-in girlfriend in botched murder-suicide was set for April 20.

Terry Lee Daniel Sr., 60, pleaded not guilty Monday in Clackamas County Circuit Court. He was re-arraigned after a grand jury issued an indictment charging him with murder in the Feb. 12 shooting death of Lisa Stevie Haynes, 55.

Daniel was arraigned at the Clackamas County Jail, linked to the courtroom by closed-circuit television. He was wearing the padded smock issued to inmates on suicide watch and did not make any statements to Judge Douglas W. Van Dyk.

Daniel is being held in the jail without bail, pending trial.

According to court documents, Daniel shot Haynes in the mobile home they shared in the Altramar I Mobile Home Park, 4440 S.E. Roethe Road, in the Oak Grove area south of Milwaukie. Haynes was found dead of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Daniel also shot himself in the chest but recovered and was arrested as soon as he was released from the hospital.

Daniel and Haynes, who moved into the mobile home park about four years ago, both suffered from serious health problems. Haynes struggled with epilepsy and back trouble. She recently suffered epileptic seizures were so severe that injuries to her neck called for corrective surgery.

Daniel served as her primary caregiver, though he also struggled with health issues. He rarely drives and often uses a walker to get around.

Leesburg, IN: Woman dies after shot by ex husband in Leesburg convenience store

Police say a woman now identified as Luselva Saavedra, who was shot by ex husband Ruben Saavedra Monday morning in Leesburg, has died.

It started after 35-year-old Luselva was shot at Katie's Kwikmart, 100 N. Main Street. It ended when Ruben, also 35 years old, shot himself in the head on the campus of Ivy Tech in Warsaw.

According to a WSBT reporter at the scene, police say this stemmed from a domestic dispute. The couple was divorced but lived in seperate trailers on the same property in Milford.

"I had a bad feeling like something was wrong. I wanted to help her," said Kwikmart employee Amber Hawthorne.

Hawthorn was working when Luselva ran into the store begging for help.

"The next thing I know, there is a gentleman coming into the store arguing with her,” said Hawthorn. “He said, ‘You come with me now.’ She said, ‘No. I'm not going anywhere with you.’"

That's when things turned dangerous. Surveillance video from the store shows an angry Ruben chasing Luselva into the store. Hawthorne grabs her coat and pepper spray and the two women hide behind the counter.

Luselva couldn't get behind the counter. He pulled out a gun and shot his his ex wife in the shoulder/arm area.

"He said, ‘Let's go. And she said ‘No.’ And as I was crossing behind her he shot her. She hit the floor. So I went to her to see if she was okay. She wasn't responding."

Ruben ran out of the store and drove away in a red truck. Police began looking for that truck. They found it a few miles away at Ivy Tech in Warsaw.

"As other officers arrived the approached the vehicle and heard a shot fired," said Chad Hill with the Kosiusko County Sheriff's Department.

Ruben had shot himself in the head, say police.

Hawthorne is thankful she wasn't harmed.

"It was scary, very scary," she said.

Luselva was airlifted to a hospital in Fort Wayne. She later passed away.

According to police, Ruben had no connection to Ivy Tech. For a while this morning Ivy Tech's campus was closed as police investigated. It has since reopened and classes should continue as normal this afternoon.

Police are investigating the events that led to this shooting.

Stay with us for updates.

Newport News, VA: Newport News man accused of killing wife says he snapped

NEWPORT NEWS— Rodney Jackson said when he heard his 9-year-old daughter's voice, he realized what he had done to her mother.

"It was because of her saying, 'Daddy, daddy, don't kill me,' that I came out that fog," Jackson testified Tuesday. "It was that little girl that brought me back to reality."

Seconds earlier, Jackson had shot and killed his wife, Kelly Parsley-Jackson, in front of their daughter on Jan. 27, 2011, he testified. Jackson, 46, told a jury Tuesday he wanted to kill himself that day, but "snapped" under the pressure of the couple's troubled marriage.

"I just didn't want to be alive anymore," Jackson testified. "I just couldn't take it anymore."

Jackson is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife. During the second day of the trial Jackson testified that his marriage was strained due to his wife chatting with men online and neglecting their children, ages 9 and 2. The chats, which were described as sexual in nature, were between Parsley-Jackson and two men, according to court testimony. The men lived in Belgium and Connecticut.

Jackson testified that in an effort to save his marriage they went to counseling a few weeks before her death. The family also had an intervention for Parsley-Jackson to address her computer use. Jackson said he thought things were getting better until he found out his wife had planned to leave him and was meeting with a lawyer. He also found a passport in the seat of her van, he testified.

"She had a passport and a plane ticket to Belgium and she wasn't going to take the kids — it was for her," he said.

During his 90-minute testimony, Jackson said he didn't want to leave his children with their mother. His plan was to kill himself in hopes that his in-laws would take care of the kids. After leaving his job Jan. 27 Jackson purchased shells for a shotgun, according to court testimony. Next he drove to his Denbigh neighborhood and parked his truck in front of the next door neighbor's house before going into his home and shooting Parsley-Jackson, he testified. When he walked in the house he said he put the shotgun in another room and told the children to leave. Jackson testified that the couple began arguing.

"I don't know what went through my mind," Jackson testified. "When she said she was going to take the kids, my mind just snapped. … It was like my body was on autopilot. … I went and got the shotgun. I came back and pressed the trigger. I didn't know at the time how many times I shot her. I was in a fog."

At the scene, Jackson told police officers he shot his wife because he had to, according to court testimony.

A friend of Jackson's daughter was at the house along with the couple's 2-year-old son during the shooting. The girl, who is now 10, testified that Jackson told her and his children to leave the room, but Parsley-Jackson told her daughter to stay.

"We went downstairs in the playroom and then I heard gunshots … then I heard [the daughter] running down the stairs saying don't kill me," she said, as she clutched a brown stuffed animal.

Next the girl said she escaped the house by crawling barefoot through a doggie door.

"I was scared. … I climbed over a fence and hid on the side of the house," the girl said.

Parsley-Jackson called her best friend, Sharon Rodgers, the day of her death, but the two never spoke.

"I heard her say, 'Rodney don't do it,' Rodgers testified. "I heard muffling and then the phone went dead."

If the jury finds Jackson guilty they have three options: first-degree murder, second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter. The possible sentence ranges from 10 years on the manslaughter charge to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge.

"Rodney was concerned that his family was falling apart and his family was everything," said Patricia Parsley, Parsley-Jackson's mother. "Rodney was a good father, he was a family man. … His family was his life."

Mount Holly, NJ: Mercer County man admits he strangled girlfriend in her Bordentown Township apartment

MOUNT HOLLY — A Mercer County man on Monday admitted he strangled his girlfriend to death during an argument in November, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi announced.
Noel Irizarry, 41, of Hamilton Township, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the death of Misty D. Ramos, 31, in her Bordentown Township apartment.
Police there were called to the apartment Nov. 7 when relatives of Ramos became worried she hadn’t picked up her child as arranged, according to a statement released by the Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigators said they discovered Irizarry had strangled Ramos during an argument that day.
An autopsy performed by Burlington County medical examiner Dr. Ian Hood showed her death was a homicide and the cause was manual strangulation, authorities said.
Under a plea deal with prosecutors, Irizarry faces 30 years in state prison. He’d have to serve 85 percent of that term before he’s eligible for parole.
Superior Court Judge Jeanne T. Covert scheduled Irizarry’s sentencing for June 1. Covert revoked his $1 million bail at prosecutors’ request.
Bordentown Township detectives and the Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit conducted the investigation into Ramos’ death.

New Orleans, LA: Gretna man is found guilty of stabbing ex-girlfriend to death

A Gretna man was convicted Tuesday night of killing his ex-girlfriend by repeatedly plunging a kitchen knife deep into her neck, even as she held their 2-year-old son who suffered cuts in the attack. A Jefferson Parish jury deliberated two hours before finding Oscar A. Madrid, 25, guilty of second-degree murder and cruelty to a juvenile.

Madrid never denied he killed Baleria Lopez on May 2, 2010, inside her Hero Drive home. But he claimed he flew into a rage when she allegedly told him she cared nothing about him or their three children.
Madrid admits he "cut" her. Lopez, 20, bled to death from a 3-inch-deep wound to the back of her neck and a 4 1/2-inch-deep gash across the left side of her neck that severed her carotid artery. Forensic pathologist Karen Ross said the knife had a serrated blade, and the wound to the side of her neck showed signs of a sawing-like motion.
"When you cut Baleria, this is what you did to her, is that correct?" Assistant District Attorney Angel Varnado asked Madrid, showing him a photograph of the gaping wound on the side of Lopez's neck.
"No, I didn't do that," Madrid said through an interpreter. "I have never seen that. Never."
Public defender Cal Fleming, who represented Madrid with Raul Guerra, argued Madrid was at most guilty of manslaughter, a homicide carried out in the heat of passion and a crime that carries a maximum 40-year sentence. Fleming pointed out that after his client rendered aid to the dying woman, he had her father call police and then tried to kill himself with a knife.
"Those are not the acts of a murderer," Fleming said in closing arguments. "But in a fit of rage, in a brief span of time, he killed the woman he loved."
His conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison, a punishment 24th Judicial District Court Judge Ellen Kovach will hand down March 8.
Natives of Honduras, Lopez and Madrid began dating in 2006, but throughout the relationship he physically abused her, Assistant District Attorney Michael Smith argued. Lopez ended the relationship 10 days before she died, Smith said.
"He knew they were separated, and he couldn't control her anymore," he said.
Lopez's sister, Hilda Martinez, testified Monday that Madrid once beat her so badly that "it looked like her eye was going to come out." But Lopez would not call police. "She was too afraid that he would kill her, or he would do worse things to her," Martinez testified.
Jose Lopez, the victim's father, said he spent most of the night before his daughter was killed counseling Madrid. Early the next morning, Jose Lopez said he was awakened by a child's cry. He rushed into the living room, where his daughter's body was on the floor.
"The only thing I said was, 'You killed her, you son-of-a,' I said the word," he testified through an interpreter, weeping and burying his face in his handkerchief. "He said she was still alive. 'She's still alive. Help me resuscitate her.' When I saw that, the child was full of blood."
The boy, now 4 years old, suffered cuts to his head and one arm.
Madrid was arrested at the house and later confessed to Gretna Police Detective Richard Russ. "All he wanted to do was scare her," Detective David Canas, who interpreted the interrogation, told Russ. "That's why he wants to kill himself. What's he going to tell his kids. He doesn't want to go to jail. He wants to kill himself."
Yet in testimony Tuesday, Madrid accused the detectives of feeding him details for the confession. "I only told them what they wanted to hear," he said.

Redondo Beach, CA: Man with Grim Reaper tattoo sought in Redondo Beach slayings

Police in Redondo Beach want to question a 23-year-old man in the overnight killings of a mother and daughter whose bodies were discovered Tuesday morning by a co-worker.

Jonathan Scott Chacon, described as the boyfriend of one of the victims, is considered “armed and dangerous” based on the circumstances of the crime, said Redondo Beach police Sgt. Fabian Saucedo.

Chacon is believed to be traveling in a late-model black Ford Mustang convertible with California license plate 6CQF458.

Saucedo said the boyfriend has a tattoo on his upper right arm of a Grim Reaper and another of a nautical star. The word “death” is tattooed on his left arm, and the word “distraught” is inked across his chest, police said.

The sergeant said Chacon has black hair, is about 5 feet 7 and weighs 160 pounds.

The killings took place in an affluent neighborhood of mostly well-kept homes, where homicides are rare. There have been three other homicides in Redondo Beach since 2007, according to the Times' Homicide Report.

Neighbors have been on edge since a killing last week, when 45-year-old Margaret Goldberg was found dead in her apartment. Police said the cases are not related.

Her husband, Russell Goldberg, had been wanted for questioning and was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on a Utah highway later the same day.
Redondo Beach police declined to say how the women were killed -- or how long they had been dead before their bodies were discovered.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Redondo Beach police tipline at (310) 937-6685.

Berrien County, IN: UPDATE: New details revealed in case of teen accused of killing boyfriend

he murder case against a 16-year-old Berrien County girl accused of shooting her 21-year-old boyfriend will go forward.

On Monday morning Judge Tom Nelson heard testimony from five witnesses in the case against Destiny Coulson. Coulson is charged with 2nd degree murder and felony possession of a firearm.

Police say Coulson was arguing with her boyfriend, David Quinn Jr, when she shot and killed him in his home on Shanghai Road the morning of January 24th.

On Monday morning Coulson appeared in court for her probable cause hearing. The prosecutor, Steve Pierangeli, called five witnesses to testify.

The first witness to take the stand was Gary Coons Jr., who is Coulson’s cousin. Coons was staying with Coulson and Quinn at the home on Shanghai when the shooting occurred. He testified that on January 23 the three bought alcohol and were playing drinking games.

Coons says later that night Coulson and Quinn started to fight and he broke up with her. Coulson told the court Quinn told her to, "pack your **** and get your stuff out of the house."

Coons says Coulson got very angry and started hitting Quinn. Coons says the fighting got worse with Coulson throwing her cell phone at Quinn and hitting him in the face. He also testified that Coulson punched Quinn, tried chocking him and bit him on both shoulders.

The prosecutor asked if Quinn ever hit or attacked Coulson and Coons testified, "No. I never saw him hit her."

Coons testified that the pair argued off and on for over three hours and at one point Quinn got out a 12 gauge shotgun. Coons said Quinn started talking about committing suicide and that he loved Coulson so much he was kill himself for her. Coons says he then grabbed the gun, took out the shotgun shell, and put the gun in the basement in a gun cabinet. Coons says someone got the gun back out and that Quinn again talked about suicide. Coons says he went outside and called his girlfriend on a cellphone and that's when he claims he heard Coulson say, "you want me to ******* kill you, DJ? You want me to ******* kill you!" Then Coons testified he heard a gunshot. Coons says he then took a few steps inside the house and saw Quinn on the floor and Coulson holding the shotgun.

Coons says he ran down the street to Quinn's parents’ house for help. Quinn's dad then called police.

Coons testified that a few days before the shooting, on January 22 both Quinn and Coulson had been drinking and got some guns out of a gun cabinet in the basement and discussed committing suicide together. Coons says he took the guns away and then the couple went to bed and acted like nothing happened in the morning.

Dr. Stephen Cohle, the chief medical examiner out of Grand Rapid also testified. He conducted the autopsy on Quinn. Cohle testified in court via phone that Quinn had a gaping shotgun wound to his right eye that caused massive damage to his brain. Cohle also told the judge that he was able to determine that Quinn was shot at close range, "within a few feet...2 to 4 feet."

Michigan State Police Trooper Scott White also took the stand. White testified that after the shooting he found Destiny Coulson at her mother's house on Rangeline Road in Berrien Springs. White testified that he heard Coulson repeatedly tell her mom that Quinn gave her the gun and told her to shoot him.

Defense Attorney Lanny Fisher did not call any witnesses. After the hearing he told WSBT that this is, "a very tragic case."

Coulson is scheduled to be in court again on March 21 when the Judge will decide whether she should face charges in adult court. Coulson is currently 16, but will be turning 17 on March 11. In the meantime, bond for Coulson remains at $500,000 cash assurity and she will continue to be in custody at the Berrien County Juvenile Detention Center.

Chester, WV: Hancock Co. man faces murder charges in connection with girlfriend's death

By Kelly Camarote and NEWS9
CHESTER, W.Va. --


A Hancock County man is facing murder charges and attempted arson charges after his girlfriend was found dead in their home earlier this year.

Adam McCloud, 34, is accused of causing 37-year-old Sara Williams' death, then trying to cover it up by setting their Chester home on fire in January.

A police officer who went to the couple's home at 919 Phaeton Ave. after Williams' co-workers reported she didn't show up for work noticed a strong odor of gas in the area and called the fire department.

Emergency crews found Williams dead and McCloud unconscious inside the home. McCloud was transported to East Liverpool City Hospital and was just released on Monday.

"I don't know exactly what was wrong with him. I don't know if it was injuries sustained from the case up there or if there were other underlying causes," Chester Police Chief Ken Thorn said.

Officers said they suspected something wasn't right when they showed up at the home, and Thorn said investigators were confident that day and now in charging McCloud with Williams' death.

"I've had two guys diligently working on it, and we've got to the point now where the prosecutor confirmed … that we have enough evidence to file charges," Thorn said.

Thorn is said this is the second possible homicide case to hit the city in roughly 20 years.

"It's definitely out of character for our city," Thorn said.

Investigators would not say where they found Williams and McCloud in the house or any other details about how Williams died, saying they do not want to jeopardize the case in court.

Thorn said a police presence at the home was not common.

"The only other call that we know that was up there was there was a medical call up there approximately two weeks before the death," Thorn said. "The male party was transported to East Liverpool City Hospital. It was uneventful basically except for the fact that he was transported."

Neighbors said the couple moved into the home less than a year ago and kept to themselves and, after the incident, they expressed concern to investigators and to NEWS9.

Thorn said, "A lot of it was trying to calm the residents trying to make them believe that they didn't feel like there was someone on the loose."

Drakesboro, KY: Man Shot Dead After Allegedly Pointing A Gun At Three Officers

What police say was a domestic dispute turned deadly last night.

Muhlenberg County authorities got domestic violence call around 8:30 to a home on Wadford Street in Drakesboro.


"There was a very loud noise, a lot of cops," says Lisa Phelps, who has lived in the neighborhood her whole life.

Another neighbor, Kevin Fraizer says he didn't know what was happening, "it was kind of frightening to see 9 or ten police cars coming around the corner."

Kentucky State Police Trooper, Stu Recke says when Sheriff Curtis McGehee and two other deputies, Terry Vick and Troy Gibson got there, 40-year old Hargis A. Gibson shot a round from his handgun into the ceiling.

"Officers pleaded with him to put the weapon down," says Trooper Recke, "he then pointed the weapon at Sheriff McGehee and the officers fired at the subject, fatally wounding him."

Kentucky State Police is still investigating the incident.

Neighbors say Gibson hasn't lived in the area long.

"When he moved into the neighborhood he introduced himself and he would come around every so often to speak to me," says Fraizer, "my initial thought was I just think that's a terrible thing. So, I tried and stood over in the yard for a minute to try and find out what happened."

For this small community of about 600, it's left some shocked.

"We're trying to get our community back," says Phelps, "like it was years ago where kids can ride bikes in the street go to school and you know, it's just gotten so out of hand it's just like anywhere else."

Phelps believes the Sheriff say he did what he had to.

"He's always been a pastor, a good person always willing to help. This is before and present."

Friends and family of Gibson met at his home in Drakesboro earlier today.

They didn't want comment on the incident but were grieving their loved one.

Miramar, FL: Miramar man, 49, charged with killing 'abusive' father-in-law

A Miramar man accused of killing his father-in-law told investigators he was fed up with the man's abusive behavior.

Thomas Stovall, 49, was arrested Sunday on a charge of non-premeditated murder. He is accused of beating his wife's stepfather over the head with a clothes iron and stabbing him multiple times during a domestic dispute.

Police were called to the home along the 6700 block of Arbor Drive in Miramar shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday about a report of a domestic dispute with a weapon, authorities said.

There, George Belfond, 79, was found on the floor of his bedroom wearing a white T-shirt covered with blood, according to an arrest report.

Stovall's wife told police that her husband and Belfond, her stepfather, started arguing after she confronted Belfond about hitting her mother, the report said.

The woman told investigators that her husband picked up the clothes iron and held it in a threatening manner to fend off Belfond who allegedly grabbed a butcher knife he kept in his bedroom and started to approach them.

According to the report, Stovall's wife said she tried to separate the two men but eventually her husband hit Belfond in the head with the iron until he dropped the knife.

Although no witnesses at the scene reported seeing the stabbing, hospital officials told investigators that Belfond sustained about 15 to 16 stab wounds along with a skull fracture. He was pronounced dead around 10:37 p.m. Sunday night, police said.

While being interviewed by Miramar police, Stovall admitted beating and stabbing Belfond after seeing him arguing with his wife and going toward her with a butcher's knife, the report said.

"He is abusive towards my wife, towards his wife, and towards my kids and I've had enough of it," Stovall is quoted as saying in the report.

Stovall is being held without bond at Broward County's Main Jail.

Philadelphia, PA: Police Investigate Death of Woman

Police are investigating the death of a woman in the Wissinoming section of the city.

It happened Tuesday around 3:30 p.m. inside an apartment on the 5900 block of Torresdale Avenue.

Police say a 49-year-old woman was assaulted by her husband during a domestic dispute. She was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead at 3:48 p.m.

The woman’s husband was arrested at the scene. No word yet on the specific charges against him.

Cody, WY: Cody man held in wife's killing had history of domestic abuse

CODY -- A man suspected of killing his wife and running from police had prior tangles with the law, including an incident last summer in which he broke into his wife's home and disconnected her emergency telephone call to police.
Myron Friday, 28, was booked again Monday evening, this time on suspicion that he killed his 34-year-old wife, Julie Friday, in her home at 208 33rd St. on Sunday night.
After a manhunt and a tip, Cody police officers located Friday and took him into custody at the home of Rocky R. Raile.
Court records state that Raile, who resides at 239 C St., was charged in 2008 for selling liquor to a minor. In 2011, he was arrested for possession of marijuana. His case remains open in district court.
Friday's relationship with Raile is unknown and police have not released any other details regarding Friday's arrest or the crime he is accused of committing. His preliminary hearing in Cody Circuit Court is set for 9 a.m. Thursday.
Circuit court records show seven cases involving Friday dating back to September 2006, when he was arrested for battery of a household member -- his third offense in 10 years.
The most recent domestic incident occurred in July, when Friday was arrested for breaking down the door at his wife's home and disconnecting her phone as she called police for help.
He also broke her cell phone, court records state, and he tried to flee when police arrived.
Friday told arresting officers that he'd gone to his wife's house that day to "talk and hang out." Court records state that Julie Friday didn't want him there, and when she didn't answer the door, he broke it open.
"[Myron] Friday stated [Julie Friday] did not want him there and [she] did call 911 when he was trying to talk to her," the court affidavit reads. "[Myron] Friday was obviously very intoxicated and was very short with his answers.
"[Myron] Friday also was very evasive about his answers, specifically when asked if the incident was ever physical, or [if] he had interfered with the 911 call."
After Friday's arrest, circuit court Judge Bruce Waters issued an order that he not contact Julie Friday pending the outcome of the case. But on July 26, Julie Friday wrote a letter to the court, asking the judge to lift the no-contact order.
"I would like you to take the no-contact order off," Julie Friday wrote the court. "I need to figure out if my husband will go to treatment and if we still want to be together."
The court found no objections to her request and lifted the no-contact order. Friday eventually pleaded guilty to criminal trespass. Charges of interfering with an emergency call and property destruction were dropped.
In October, a bench warrant was issued for Friday's arrest for his failure to pay the fines associated with the criminal trespass offense. He eventually spent 31 days in the Park County Detention Center before he was released on Feb. 18.
Eight days later, Julie Friday was found dead in her home by her son. Myron Friday emerged as the primary suspect and was arrested at Raile's house in Cody after a day-long manhunt.
Cody Police Chief Perry Rockvam said Julie Friday died of trauma, though the means remain under investigation. He said an autopsy was to be performed in Billings, Mont., to determine the exact cause of death.
Over the past five years, Friday has been charged with battery of a household member, third offense, along with speeding, interference with a peace officer, breach of peace, criminal trespass, interference with emergency calls and property destruction.

Cameron Park, CA: Sheriff: Domestic dispute preceded Cameron Park murder

CAMERON PARK, CA - Sheriff's detectives are accusing of Cameron Park man of killing his wife.

El Dorado County sheriff's deputies found Rachel Winkler, 37, dead in her home on the 3100 block of Aeronca Way Monday morning. Her husband, Todd Winkler, was outside the home and questioned.

Winkler was booked into custody later Monday on suspicion of murder. Sgt. Phil Chovanec said investigators learned the couple had had a domestic dispute earlier Monday.

The cause of Rachel Winkler's death has not been released pending an autopsy.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Eutawville, SC: Murder-suicide in Eutawville

Orangeburg County deputies are investigating a murder-suicide in Eutawville.

Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said officers responded to two addresses within 10 minutes of each other.

On Saturday night around 6:20, an employee at Strick's One Stop on Old Number Six Highway reported hearing a gunshot then saw Anngenette Shaw, 42, fall to the ground. The employee also saw a pickup truck fleeing the scene.

A few minutes later, officers found 53-year-old Kenneth Burch of Eutawville dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Employees at Strick's One Stop in Eutawville said Shaw and Burch were talking to one another in the parking lot for about 10 minutes before Burch shot the 42-year-old. The shooting happened in front of Shaw's three children.

Another employee said Shaw died at the scene as Burch drove away down Old Highway 6. The employee said she had seen the couple in the store before and said customers said the couple had just stopped dating.

The sheriff says Burch had visited his mother just before going home and shooting himself.

The coroner conducted autopsies Monday.

Decatur, GA: Dekalb Man Who Said Men Strangled Wife Arrested

DECATUR, Ga. --
DECATUR, Ga. (AP) DeKalb County police have arrested a man who claimed that his wife was raped and strangled by five men he said broke into their home near Decatur.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/wE29s3 ) 60-year-old Jessie Armstrong was charged with misdemeanor battery and was being held in DeKalb County jail on $50,000 bond. Police responding to a call for help around 2 a.m. Sunday found April Denise Armstrong dead in the home.

Police spokeswoman Mekka Parish says there was no evidence that of anyone inside the house other than the coupl. But she said police did find signs of domestic violence. A police report says officers also found a glass pipe and a substance believed to be cocaine.

The investigation continues and police are awaiting an autopsy to determine cause of death.

Phoenix, AZ: Man held in death of boyfriend

Phoenix police Saturday found the body of a man they say was killed by his boyfriend.

Damon Lancaster, 37, was found dead about 4 p.m. inside his house in the 1300 block of North 30th Drive. Police believe Lancaster’s boyfriend, 25-year-old Christopher Armendariz, killed him on Friday. Police located Armendariz near the scene and arrested him.

“Investigators believe that Armendariz and Lancaster got into a domestic- violence-related physical altercation, which caused the death of Lancaster,” said a news release from Sgt. Tommy Thompson, a police spokesman. “The actual cause of death will be determined by the Maricopa Medical Examiner’s Office.”

Armendariz was booked into the Maricopa County jail in downtown Phoenix.

Houston, TX: Woman admits to killing boyfriend inside north Houston apartment

HOUSTON – Police say a woman who’d been arrested for shooting and killing her husband is responsible for the death of a man inside her apartment in north Houston early Saturday.

Linda Darnice Dorsey, 55, has been charged with murder in the case.

According to HPD, Dorsey called police around 10 a.m. Saturday and told officers she’d found her boyfriend unresponsive on her living room floor.

Police investigated and determined the victim, 64-year-old Harold Lewis Bacon, had been murdered after they found a gunshot wound to his head.

On Sunday, Dorsey told authorities she’d killed Bacon after he showed up to her apartment around 1 a.m. on Saturday. Dorsey told officers she waited nine hours to call police because she wanted to be with Bacon.

But police discovered Dorsey had used the time to try and clean up the crime scene and hide the gun, which officers eventually located.

Harold Bacon’s roommate, Terry Alexander, says he tried to warn Bacon about Linda Dorsey, who was convicted back in 1985 for shooting and killing her husband.

“Word on the street she had done this before,” said Terry Alexander. “I had talked to him time and time again about staying away from her. I guess Friday he broke it off and she couldn’t accept it.”

Friends say Bacon had had his own trouble with the law but had straightened out his life. He had become someone they could depend on.

“When I had a problem, I’d call him,” said Evelyn Brown, Bacon’s family friend. “I can’t call him now.”

Spring Hill, FL: Co-workers of slain SPC professor speak fondly of her

SPRING HILL --
A 61-year-old Spring Hill man has been charged with murder after he called 911 and told a dispatcher he shot and killed his wife.

Alan Osterhoudt Jr. was being held at the Hernando County Detention Center without bail for the alleged murder of Maria Osterhoudt, whom deputies found dead at the couple's home on the 7100 block of Raymond Place in Spring Hill.

Maria Osterhoudt was a professor at St. Petersburg College. She taught computer science at the Tarpon Springs campus, had a Ph.D degree and loved the piano.

Her co-workers spoke fondly of Osterhoudt on Monday.

"We were so looking forward to her embracing her next step of her life, which she was going to retire July 1,'' said Ourania Stephanides, SPC Professor of Mathematics. "And she’s so creative and so energetic, we could could only anticipate what that part of her life was going to be. And now it’s not going to so we’re all kind of stunned by that."

Hernando County Sheriff's Office said Osterhoudt called 911 late Saturday and told the dispatcher he had shot and killed his wife after an argument. He said he'd done "the most heinous thing" he has ever done in his life and that he would be awaiting deputies outside the residence.

Responding deputies took the man into custody.

Neighbor Elissha Schultz said there was no indication the couple had problems. "He came at about 3 every day," she said. "He went and got his mail, went home. I mean, it didn't seem like there were any problems."

Another neighbor, Jason Goldstein, also expressed surprise. "I mean, you would think if somebody did something like that, the first instinct would be to run," Goldstein said. "And here he was, sitting there waiting for the police."

Unity, PA: Husband of dead Westmoreland County teacher charged

Pennsylvania state police have obtained an arrest warrant for the husband of a middle school teacher whose body was found in Westmoreland County last week, according to court records.

David Frank Stahl, 41, will be charged with criminal homicide in the death of 37-year-old Rebecca Stahl, whose body was found along the side of a rural road Friday morning in Unity.

Mr. Stahl said he last saw his wife on Monday morning, but court paperwork indicated Mrs. Stahl was killed two days prior. He said that he returned home Monday evening to find his wife, who was home from work recovering from surgery, gone though her car remained in the driveway. He never reported her missing.

Mrs. Stahl's father made a report Tuesday morning.

Last week, state police executed a search warrant at the Stahl home. Friday, after her body was found.

The couple had a tumultuous relationship, court records show. Mr. Stahl was charged with harassment for pushing Mrs. Stahl. She had also filed for a protection from abuse order against him at one point.

Mr. Stahl was admitted to Excela Westmoreland Hospital on Friday night for an unknown reason and remained there this afternoon. It was not clear when police would take him into custody.

State police could not be reached for immediate comment about the warrant.

Houston, TX: Horror as 'crazed father kills daughter, 12, and leaves wife and 14-year-old fighting for life before turning gun on himself'

A domestic dispute turned deadly when a crazed husband shot his wife and two daughters at home before turning the gun on himself, police said.
The mother called 911 in Houston, Texas, on Sunday after being shot by husband Sardar Shaikh, 43, police said, over an alleged financial dispute.
Mr Shaikh and his daughter Jacqueline Shaikh, 12, were dead when police came, but the wife and daughter Vivian Shaikh, 14, were taken to hospital.

He lost a job and everything,’ neighbour Harold Portillo said, suggesting the man was under financial strain. ‘So he was behind two months’ rent.’
The mother, Maria Isabel Groena, 43, was left paralysed while Vivian survived a gunshot wound to the neck but both remain in critical condition.

While doctors fight to keep the pair alive at the Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston, police are struggling to find an explanation to the shooting.
The progress of investigators is being held back because they haven’t been able to contact any next of kin or family members, police said.

Witnesses who we've talked to at the scene are not saying anything (that) indicates there was something that precipitated this,’ a police spokesman said.
One report suggested that Mr Shaikh was under great financial strain, and was recently fired from his job.
While there were no prior domestic disturbance reports to the address, some give hints to problems at home.
‘I knew they had problems, but not that bad,’ local store owner Adam Dalami said. ‘Beautiful family, nice family. It never seemed that bad.’

An eyewitness saw Mr Shaikh fall after he shot himself outside of the apartment complex, and she rushed up to perform CPR.
‘It was just, I think a natural reaction, I work at a hospital,’ medical assistant Jaculynn Jackson said.
‘I saw him collapse. I ran over to give him CPR and he was lying on top of the gun. They were saying he shot himself in the head.’

San Antonio, TX: Teen held in stabbing death

San Antonio police arrested a teen accused of fatally stabbing his mother's boyfriend during a disturbance at a South Side home Saturday night.
The 35-year-old victim, whose name has not yet been released, died around 11:15 p.m. at San Antonio Military Medical Center, according to the Bexar County medical examiner's office. He was stabbed in the chest in a home in the 100 block of Glenwood Court around 10 p.m. Saturday, police said.
An SAPD spokesman said the teen, 15, was in custody Sunday and faces a charge of murder. Because he is a juvenile, his name has not been released.
Neighbors said the teen's mother and her boyfriend, who moved into a single-story white rental home about seven months ago, were known to argue but weren't physically violent. On Saturday night, the woman returned home to find the man allegedly doing cocaine in the kitchen with a prostitute, SAPD Sgt. Jesse Garcia said at the scene.
She chased the suspected prostitute out of the house, Garcia said, and then got into an argument with the man.

The argument then escalated somewhat, police said, and items were thrown around the home. The couple knocked over a table and some chairs, police said.
While the couple argued, the teenager grabbed a four-inch knife, described by neighbors as a knife attached to brass knuckles. The man was reportedly leaving the house when he was stabbed in the chest; he collapsed on the front porch steps.
Delia Gonzales, 28, said the woman ran to her apartment for help, screaming hysterically that the man had been stabbed. She said she saw the teenager was pacing, still holding the knife, on the sidewalk in front of the home, where he waited until police arrived. He was detained and later taken into juvenile custody.
“We were so surprised,” Gonzales said. The teen and his mother's boyfriend were friends, she said. “They would walk around together, they barbecued together ... they were good together.”
The victim was Gonzales' friend, she said. Gonzales' boyfriend, Michael Postelle, 25, said he talked to the teenager after the stabbing while the boy's mother stayed by her dying boyfriend's side.

“We stayed because we didn't want her to get hurt,” Postelle said. “She's a good mom. I told him, if you stab your mom, I'm going to hurt you.”
Gonzales and Postelle said the teen was troubled and might have had anger management issues. He had run away from home before, they said, and had recently returned and enrolled in school.
Two other children, ages 7 and 10, were in the home at the time of the slaying and were placed in the care of relatives, said Mary Walker, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services. Neighbors said the children were asleep during the incident.
Walker said her agency is investigating the family but was unaware if they had a history with CPS.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Miami, FL: Man Shoots, Kills Wife in South Dade: Police

A man faces a second-degree murder charge after fatally shooting his wife in Miami-Dade County, police said.

The shooting occurred at 13100 SW 109th Place in the Killian area of south Miami-Dade, police said.

Miami-Dade Police said they found Maria Mane, 58, dead by the front door when they arrived. They took her husband Jesus A. Mane, 61, into custody. He was in the home, and faces a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm

A family member was also in the house at the time of the shooting, but was in the next room did not see what happened, police added.

It wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney.

Colorado Springs, CO: UPDATE: Coroner rules double shooting a murder-suicide

THE GAZETTE
A southeast Colorado Springs man apparently fatally shot his wife and then shot himself Tuesday evening, according to the El Paso County coroner's office.

The autopy report released Friday determined the double shooting at 9108 Chieftan Drive was a murder-suicide and identified Jeffrey Lawrence, 29, and Tara Buckler, 27, as the two people who died.

Both Lawrence and Buckler died of gunshot wounds to the head, the report said, indicating Buckler's death was ruled a homicide and Lawrence's a suicide.

Lawrence and Buckler were found dead at the home when sheriff's deputies responded to a call just after 6 p.m. Tuesday, said Sgt. Mike Schaller, an El Paso County Sheriff's spokesman.

Sheriff's deputies also found three children, age 10 and under, outside the house when they arrived. The children were not injured and are staying with a relative, according to the sheriff's office.

Emergency radio traffic and neighbors indicated that a 10-year-old child called 911 from inside the house.

Residents in the neighborhood said the Colorado Springs fire department was the first agency to arrive at the house.

Megan Grant said firefighters found the children hiding in the basement. Grant said she was alerted to the incident when she heard the children's grandmother yell in agony.

The house is in the Colorado Centre neighborhood southeast of the Colorado Springs Airport. According to county records, Lawrence bought the home in March 2006 and the couple has been married since August 2007.

St. Johns, FL: Sheriff: Reason behind Julington Creek double murder-suicide is 'inexplicable'

Donna Gayle McCulloch suffered from years of spousal abuse and the horrors of a single car crash that left her paralyzed from the waist down, according to court records, Sheriff David Shoar and her divorce attorney.

But what led the doting St. Johns County mother to apparently shoot her two boys and then herself in their home Thursday night remains a mystery, Shoar said. The sheriff said he didn't doubt that both burdens left McCulloch, 40, desperate and possibly played a role in the shootings. But she left no note in the murder-suicide.

"The truth is, it's inexplicable," said Shoar, noting it's still early in the investigation. "We're not 100 percent sure what went through her mind."

The bodies of Julington Creek Elementary second-grader Daniel Joel Rashley, 8, and his brother, first-grader William Benjamin Rashley, 7, were found with their mother by her parents about 4:30 p.m., Shoar said.

They routinely checked on the mother and children and made one of those stops at their home at 504 Loveland Place when they found the bodies, Shoar said. There was no forced entry.

McCulloch used a handgun, but Shoar declined to say who it belonged to or why she had the weapon.

"Needless to say, it was horrific," Shoar said of the crime scene.

Shoar said the children's father, Daniel Rashley II, lives in Ohio and was reached there by police last night. He said the father was in St. Johns County as late as a week ago after being released from jail, where he'd been serving time for violating probation in a case in which he used his wife's credit cards without authorization. It's unclear when McCulloch and Rashley last had contact.

McCulloch used a wheelchair, having been paralyzed in a serious accident in 2010, said Katrina Muse, who represented her during her divorce. Muse, a St. Augustine attorney, said McCulloch worked for a pharmaceutical company and was a very friendly and well-liked woman. She also cherished being a mother.

“She loved her children and had a great rapport with them,” Muse said. “She was a good old-fashioned parent who worked hard.”

Dale O'Brien knew McCulloch for about four years, having last seen her a few years ago. O'Brien and McCulloch worked together as site agents for Ryland Homes. O'Brien said McCulloch was valued as a co-worker and a friend.

"She was literally the kindest, the most dedicated, loving and caring woman that you can ever imagine," O'Brien said. "She absolutely adored her kids. She would do anything for those children."

Records show that McCulloch and Rashley married in 2003, separated in March 2010 and divorced in August 2010. She was given primary custody, with the husband having supervised visits as part of a mediated settlement agreement.

Five months earlier, McCulloch sought and received an injunction for protection against her then husband.

In the injunction petition and the divorce case, McCulloch outlined what she said was seven years of abuse at the hands of her husband while they were living in Texas and Florida. The couple moved to St. Augustine in 2006, records show.

The troubles listed in the court records included:

- In 2003, McCulloch said Rashley punched her several times when she confronted him about being drunk. She was holding their 7-month-old son at the time. McCulloch said she sought help from police.

- In 2005, McCulloch said Rashley grabbed her by the arm, pushed her into a refrigerator and threw her on a bed. Rashley was later convicted of domestic violence, but the record was later expunged, the injunction said.

- In 2007, McCulloch said her husband left their children unsupervised while left alone with them. She later sought protection for them from him, but there's no record of police being called.

- In 2010, McCulloch said Rashley violently shook a neighborhood boy during an argument. He was arrested, but the charges were dropped, police said.

- In March 2010, McCulloch accused Rashley of threatening her during an argument about him wanting to drive to Ohio to get some dental work done. Fearing for her safety, McCulloch withdrew $500 from an ATM and gave it to her husband.

McCulloch, the sole financial provider for the family, sought a further explanation from Rashley when she said he punched her in the back, knocking her over a bicycle. He then left for Ohio. There is no record of police being called.

The petition also says that Rashley threatened to take the children at various points and never return them. It also accuses him of being an alcoholic, which he denied through a counter motion filed by his attorney.

Muse said the divorce was settled at mediation. She said despite the court record reflecting years of abuse in the relationship, she doesn’t doubt that McCulloch’s husband is in great pain over the deaths of his ex-wife and children. She warned people not to draw conclusions about Thursday's shootings based on their past troubles.

“It was a very difficult divorce,” Muse said. “It was a difficult marriage.”

Rashley couldn't be reached to comment. His divorce attorney, Brian North, said he hasn't spoken to Rashley since 2010. He also said the divorce was contentious.

"I certainly didn't see this coming," North said. "I don't see any connection between the divorce and this, but that's still to be determined."

Records show Rashley received probation in a 2010 case after being arrested for the unauthorized use of his wife's credit card. The fraud occurred after she was hospitalized following the life-threatening accident near their home in August.

Rashley was accused of ringing up about $6,000 in bills in that case. Most of his purchases were for alcohol, cigarettes and phone cards and in one case a TV and DVD player from Walmart, his arrest report said.

He received three years' probation, including a requirement to stay away from his wife. He violated that probation by sending text messages and got out of jail in that case about two weeks ago, records show.

The Sheriff's Office report for her June 29, 2010, crash said McCulloch's cell phone showed she had received a text message from a family member one to two minutes prior the wreck on Flora Branch Road. It said Rashley, who had a no-contact order against him, was at her apartment.

She accelerated and lost control of her car, smashing into a tree and power pole, the report said.

Christina Langston, a spokeswoman for the School Board, said grief counselors and student services staff were dispatched to the school to help.

“We’re deeply saddened by this tragedy,' Langston said. "We're trying to keep things as normal as possible, creating a stable environment for the children while they are in school."

Julington Creek Elementary School Principal Michael Story said the mood of the school is one of shock and deep sadness.

"This is a very close-knit community," Story said. "The parents are supporting the teachers, and the teachers are supporting the students. ... They were wonderful little boys full of life and excitement and are gone too soon."

He said the mother was involved with the school and her children.

"I know she loved the boys and they were very close to her," Story said.

Schenectedy, NY: Dead identified in murder-suicide

SCHENECTADY — Police on Friday identified the two people discovered dead after a murder-suicide in a Vale neighborhood home.
Police described Rafeena N. Rahaman, 47, as a murder victim. The dead man was Ramcumar Bandhoo, 38. The bodies were found around 1:20 p.m. Thursday inside 6 Mynderse St. shortly after police received a call for a person with a knife in the area, Lt. Mark McCracken said.
Bandhoo fatally stabbed Rahaman, his former girlfriend, multiple times and cut her throat, then
hanged himself with a rope in the closet of a second-floor apartment, authorities said.
The home is near Mohawk Ambulance Service in the city's Vale neighborhood. Neighbors said Rahaman and Bandhoo were Guyanese immigrants.
One neighbor, who declined to give his name, said he had let Rahaman use his cell phone around 1:25 p.m. Feb. 15 to make an emergency call after she dashed from her house in only her nightgown frantically screaming, "Somebody help me, he's going to kill me."
His wife, who also refused to give her name, said Rahaman always kept to herself. "She was a very sweet person and didn't bother anybody," said the neighbor, who believed Rahaman worked as a hotel supervisor in the area.
The couple recounted Bandhoo had left by the time police responded but that they saw the man back at the home days later. They said Rahaman told them he grew angry when she told him she planned to go downstate to visit her children.
As a result of the altercation, Bandhoo was charged with unlawful imprisonment and menacing but was released on bail by a City Court judge, authorities said.

Columbus, GA: Columbus man charged in wife's stabbing death

An investigation into the Wednesday death of Annie Morgan has led to the woman's husband facing a murder charge, Columbus police said Saturday.
Noel Morgan, 92, was arrested about 6 p.m. Friday at his 6900 Schomburg Road apartment and charged with murder in the death of his 90-year-old wife. Morgan pleaded innocent to the charge during a 9 a.m. Recorder's Court hearing today. He was ordered held without bond and the charge was bound over to Superior Court.
The charge stems from an 8 p.m. Wednesday call for paramedics at the apartment for a person stricken by a possible cardiac arrest. After paramedics arrived, they noticed a possible stab wound to the victim's chest.
The woman was taken to The Medical Center where Deputy Coroner Charles Newton pronounced her dead at 8:45 p.m. On Thursday, the body was sent to the crime lab in Atlanta for an autopsy which determined the woman's aorta was punctured by an unknown sharp object, possibly a mail opener.

Flagler County, FL: Man accused of killing wife with AK-47 in front of child

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — Flagler County deputies say a man killed his wife with an AK-47 assault rifle right in front of their child.

Investigators said William Merrill shot his wife in their bathroom while the couple’s 3-year-old daughter was in the bathtub.

Merrill told detectives the shooting was an accident, but officials have ruled it a murder.

The couple's two children are now with their grandparents.

Lawrence County, IN: Couple Found Dead In Home

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ind. -- Police are investigating the deaths of a couple whose bodies were found in a Lawrence County mobile home.
Officers were called to 50 Poplar Ridge Road just north of Springville on Thursday morning for a welfare check, but got no response when they knocked.
A second call came in to police that afternoon from a family member who found the bodies of Aaron Gater and Judith Gater, both 36, in the home.

Police said both died of gunshot wounds, and that it did not appear that anyone else was involved in the deaths.
Aaron Gater was charged with domestic battery in the presence of someone younger than 16 in January 2011. In August 2011, he was arrested on a charge of invasion of privacy.

Shiawassee County, MI: No Charges Yet for Woman Police Say Shot, Killed Husband

Thursday night was not the first time police responded to a domestic dispute at the same home on Laingsburg Road, but it may be the last.

"The worst case scenario that could happen happened. There had been a shooting," said Sheriff George Braidwood.

The 9-1-1 call came from a woman, but when deputies got there, they found her husband, 42-year-old Dean Watkins, shot dead. Sheriff Braidwood has no doubt she's the one who shot him, yet she has not been charged.

"It's a couple, two people that obviously aren't getting along, angry at each other and they don't like each other, and they have no conflict with anyone else," he said.

The woman spent the night at Shiawassee County Jail, but after meeting with the county prosecutor, the sheriff decided to release her.

"It's not like an angry serial killer or an armed robber who seeks out stores in the middle of the night and you don't know where he's going to go next. The domestics are isolated instances involving a very few number of people, usually two, and it starts and ends right there. It has nothing to do with the neighbors or anyone else in the community," said Sheriff Braidwood.

While it was scary seeing their neighborhood overtaken by cop cars and ambulances, the Dunns, who live in the area, aren't worried going forward.

"I was kind of frightened," said five-year-old Tucker Dunn.

"It doesn't happen very often," said Katelyn Dunn, his 12-year-old sister. "It's a quiet town."

It's rare not only there, but in any town, the sheriff says, for a domestic dispute to end in death.

The sheriff's office is still investigating the shooting and says certain items need to processed by the crime lab before the prosecutor can decide whether or not the woman will be charged.

Portland, ME: Portland woman pleads not guilty to manslaughter in stabbing death of boyfriend

PORTLAND, Maine — A Portland woman accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend in November has been held on $50,000 cash bail after pleading not guilty to manslaughter.

Prosecutors say 48-year-old Lisa McDonald stabbed 47-year-old Carlos Ramos in his apartment on Nov. 28. He was declared dead at a hospital of a single stab wound to the chest.

Neighbors described their relationship as volatile.

McDonald's court-appointed attorney says there are questions about the case, including the possibility of self-defense and mental health issues.

McDonald was indicted by a grand jury earlier this month.

Bethel, AK: Woman charged with murder in stabbing death of Bethel man

A Bethel woman is charged with murder in the stabbing death of a man in the Southwest Alaska city early Monday.

Bethel police say Brenda Lee Evans, 43, stabbed Charles Beaver, 63, multiple times in the chest. A police officer found Evans covered in blood, kneeling over Beaver about 5 a.m. Monday, according to the officer's affidavit filed in court.

Evans told officers she had earlier left the home, at 207 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway, to get Beaver a cigarette and noticed a fire in the entryway of another building nearby, the affidavit says. She claimed to have put out the fire and returned to Beaver, whom she found dead and tried to revive.

But witnesses told police a different story.

Two people said Evans, who apparently left the home the night before, told them she and Beaver were arguing, and Beaver wanted to throw her out of the home, according to the affidavit.

"Evans told the two that she would get in the house and that she would kill Beaver if she had to," the court papers say.

A neighbor told police Evans knocked on his door early the next morning, before Beaver's body was discovered. He said Evans told him there was a fire in his entryway. She was throwing snow on it, according to the affidavit.

The neighbor smelled fumes but couldn't see any fire, the court papers say. He told police Evans said, "The next time I tell you there's a fire, you better listen!"

An officer found fresh blood in the neighbor's entryway and evidence that someone had tried to start a fire there, according to the affidavit. The court papers say that after her interview with police, Evans was taken to the Sobering Center. A short time later, she went to her sister's house.

Evans' sister told police Evans confessed killing Beaver. She confessed again during a secretly recorded telephone conversation with her sister, in which Evans said she stabbed Beaver multiple times and said she told others what she'd done, the affidavit says.

While taking Evans to jail, an officer asked her how many times she stabbed Beaver.

"I don't know. I don't think I even did," she told the officer, according to the affidavit.

Contact Casey Grove at 257-4589 or casey.grove@adn.com

Thursday, February 23, 2012

White County, IN: Murder-suicide victims identified

WHITE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - White County sheriff's deputies discovered two bodies inside a home Tuesday after being called to conduct a welfare check.

47-year-old Michael Bell and 38-year-old Heather Taylor were found dead, each with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Based on evidence recovered at the scene, police said this appears to have been a homicide-suicide.

Evidence indicates Bell shot and killed Taylor before killing himself.

White County officials were called to do that welfare check at 1178 Saddlebrook Court just outside Monticello city limits a little after 9:30 Tuesday morning.

Shafer said that's when deputies found the bodies of an adult male and female in bed.

Neighbors of the Saddlebrook neighborhood describe the area as typically quiet.

"It's a very peaceful neighborhood," White County resident, Lynn Kolter said.

But Tuesday morning it was anything but peaceful. Neighbors there said they feel a bit uneasy after hearing the news of two residents found dead inside their home.

"I've had phone calls all day and everyone is feeling a little shaky tonight because you just don't have things like that here," Kolter said.

Neighbors News Channel 18 spoke with Tuesday night said they did hear gun shots early Tuesday morning.

Smith County, TX: ETX man accused in wife's murder temporarily free

SMITH COUNTY (KYTX) -- The Whitehouse man accused of beating his wife to death last Thanksgiving will get to leave the Smith County jail. A little-known law is giving him temporary freedom.

It's been 90 days since Kelly Gage was arrested and charged with beating his wife Patti to death. Two days after his arrest she died in the hospital, but after all this time in jail, Gage still hasn't been indicted.

"I feel for this family because they have lost someone they love very deeply and they're wanting someone to be held accountable for it," Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham said.

Bingham has been trying to build a case against Gage, but the official report from her autopsy in Dallas makes it tough. It says she died from blunt trauma to the head, but how that trauma happened remains "undetermined."

"We're not going to take this case down to a grand jury and present the case to a grand jury when our own experts, specifically the pathologists, say that this could just as likely have been an accidental fall as an intentional act," Bingham said.

To top it off, Bingham a special blood spatter expert brought in to shed light on what happened. He was just as confused.

"The blood that he observed on the defendant's clothing is just as consistent with expiratory spatter as it would be impact spatter," Bingham said, meaning it could be the result of an accident.

With no indictment, the law requires Smith County to let Gage go with the understanding that he may be called back at any time.

Patti's brother told CBS 19 he's scared for Gage to get out based on what he called a history of violence between Gage and other family members. He's hoping for quick developments in this case.

Chicago, IL: Lawyer: Man rammed ex-wife’s car, shot her six times in self-defense

Jerry L. Hudson shot his unarmed, ex-wife to death in her car outside the Oak Brook hotel where she was staying with her new boyfriend, but it wasn’t murder, Hudson’s attorney argued Wednesday.

Hudson fired six shots at 45-year-old Melissa Bridgewater in self-defense, defense attorney John Lyke Jr. told a DuPage County jury as Hudson’s trial began.

“This is not a case of who done it. This is a case of why did he do it,” Lyke said, acknowledging that Hudson carried out the Jan. 1, 2010, shooting in the upscale western suburb.

Hudson gunned down his former wife during a nasty, early-morning altercation in the darkened parking lot because he thought she was reaching into her center console for a pistol, Lyke argued.

“He bumped his car into hers to get her attention — and when she reached her hand into that console, that’s when he fired,” Lyke said, claiming Hudson couldn’t see well because it was “super dark” during the 6:20 a.m. confrontation.

“That’s why he mis-identified a lot of stuff,” Lyke said of Hudson, a 51-year-old former trucker from Bolingbrook.

In an earlier, heated phone call, Bridgewater purportedly warned Hudson that “I have a gun and I’m not afraid to use it,” Lyke told jurors, contending Hudson previously had seen Bridgewater with a handgun.

No gun was found in Bridgewater’s Silver Acura after the shooting.

Prosecutors, though, said an angry Hudson made 20 phone calls to his former wife in the 1-1/2 hours before the shooting, then hit her car with his Hyundai rental car in the parking lot of the Doubletree Hotel to prevent her from leaving.

Hudson shot Bridgewater as she sat in her car, hitting her six times — including two bullets that struck her in the head, prosecutor Mary Cronin said. Hudson drove off after the shooting, though a nearby toll plaza camera captured images of his car leaving the area, she said.

Hudson also left a rambling letter at his home complaining he was upset his former wife — who had divorced him in 2006 — didn’t want to reconcile with him, Cronin said.

“Melissa took my manhood, so I’m taking her with me,” Cronin said, reading an excerpt of the letter to jurors.

Cronin derisively dismissed Hudson’s claim that his manhood was stolen, calling it a “petty theft” that couldn’t justify Bridgewater’s slaying.

Hudson surrendered to police four days after the shooting and was charged with first-degree murder.

Land O' Lakes, FL: Pasco deputies charge man in estranged wife's shooting death after years of fighting

LAND O'LAKES — A few days before his estranged wife ended up dead in their back yard, Theodore "Ted" Diller stopped to chat with a neighbor.

He and his wife, Rhonda "Nikki" Diller, had been separated and in the process of divorcing for years. They still lived on the same property because both wanted their assets — and both didn't think the other should get anything. Mr. Diller complained of the legal fees.

"She's costing me $60,000," neighbor Lily Lopresto said Mr. Diller, 67, vented to her.

"I'm sick of that b----."

Lopresto was not alarmed.

"He was always threatening to kill her," Lopresto said Wednesday afternoon as she stood in front of her house, looking at the crime scene tape surrounding the Dillers' property at 5439 Julia Lane. It's a quiet, wooded, lake front property. Mrs. Diller, 58, lived in a yellowish-green house. Mr. Diller lived in an A-frame. It was a quick walk between the two. Neighbors said Mrs. Diller only came outside at night because she feared her husband.

But she had dogs.

And they needed to go outside.

Ted Diller waited for her. Authorities say he hid underneath her car for two hours Wednesday and, when she stepped outside with her dogs, he shot her in the chest with a .357-caliber revolver. He then stood over her body and, the Sheriff's Office said, shot her again.

He covered her body with a blanket, went back to his house and "consumed numerous prescription pills," a release states.

A friend of Ted Diller's found him just after 11 a.m. and called 911. He then searched for Mrs. Diller and found her body, the Sheriff's Office said. Ted Diller, a former police officer for Tampa International Airport, was hospitalized and booked into the Pasco jail Thursday. He is charged with first-degree murder.

"It was just a volatile situation," neighbor Debbie Green said. "And somebody finally lit the fuse."

According to Pasco court documents, the Dillers filed for divorce in 2008, but the case was dismissed voluntarily. They filed again in 2010, and the case remains open.

Deputies dealt with the Dillers several times in recent years. The spats did not result in arrests. They were there on the grand opening day of the Dillers' now-defunct business, Sundial Clocks N' Tiques, on Dec. 16, 2004.

Ted Diller said his wife didn't want him to open the store, so she broke their items.

"Ted stated Rhonda is mentally ill, and gets mad very easily," a report states.

Mrs. Diller told the deputy "she bought the clocks at the store and she did not want him selling them since they were hers."

The deputy explained that since they were married, the clocks also belonged to Ted Diller. He gave an example: If he wanted, Mr. Diller could sell them at one dollar each.

"Rhonda then became irate and said she wasn't leaving because Ted was going to sell the clocks for a dollar. I tried to explain to her that Ted was not going to sell the clocks for that amount and that I was just giving her an example, but she said she did not understand what I was saying."

She eventually left the shop "and said she was going to the courthouse to sue Ted."

Deputies were called again to the shop six times between January and April 2008, according to the Sheriff's Office, when the couple had separated and were going through a divorce. Mrs. Diller told a deputy she and her husband had been married for "30 years," the report states. Mrs. Diller called deputies to demand that "all sales be suspended" at the shop because Mr. Diller was selling items at prices that were too low.

Another time, she called because Mr. Diller changed the locks and a locksmith wouldn't break into the shop without a deputy present. Later that same day, Feb. 12, 2008, Mr. Diller called deputies to the store again because "his wife had come to their shop and began breaking items inside," the report states.

Days later, deputies responded to their house on Julia Lane because Mrs. Diller called to complain that Mr. Diller "was on her property." Weeks later, Mr. Diller called the Sheriff's Office to say Mrs. Diller shoved him at their store. Both said the other violated a domestic violence injunction, stating neither could get within five feet of the other. But the deputy researched and found no injunction. He told them to call their lawyers.

In 2009, Ted Diller called again because he said Mrs. Diller "was hitting a glass window with a yard shovel to attempt to get inside" one of the buildings on their property. He said he wouldn't give her a key because "she steals everything from him."

The neighbors often heard their fights. They said they knew something bad was going to happen, it was just a matter of when.

"I think the whole situation is sad," Green said.

Mapleton, IL: Mapleton husband and wife dead in apparent murder-suicide

MAPLETON —
If anything had been wrong at the Ledbetters' rural Peoria County home, it was betrayed by neither history nor any recent fears.

Just hours before Emmett Ledbetter, 67, apparently shot and killed his wife, Rebecca, 52, then turned the gun on himself Tuesday night, the woman had been with family and not mentioned any problems at home.

"As far as I know, everything was just fine," said her mother, Suzanne Johnson. "I can't figure out why he did it - I didn't think that he was that kind of person."

The couple who lived at 6702 S. Harkers Corner Road did not have a documented history of domestic violence, nor did either party apparently share fears with close family members.

But about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Rebecca Ledbetter called 911 because her husband was shooting a gun inside the house and threatening her, according to reports.

A deputy with the Peoria County Sheriff's Department told dispatchers to have her leave the house while he was en route, but the woman refused. She apparently wanted to remain inside to protect her dogs.

Dispatchers heard two gunshots in quick succession at 6:35 p.m., then the line went silent.

The house - a tidy brick ranch with well-manicured landscaping and a recreational vehicle parked on the side, surrounded by barren agricultural fields - was quiet when police arrived.

After calling out to the occupants and not getting a response, deputies approached and saw both bodies near the rear glass patio door. A gun was near Emmett Ledbetter. The screen door was closed, but someone had slightly opened the sliding glass door.

Emmett and Rebecca Ledbetter were pronounced dead at the scene at 7:45 p.m., according to Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll. Both appeared to have died from gunshot wounds, though preliminary causes of death won't be determined until autopsies are performed Thursday.

A release from Peoria County Sheriff Mike McCoy noted the deaths are being investigated as an apparent murder-suicide.

That outcome is one Johnson couldn't fathom for her daughter earlier in the day, when Rebecca Ledbetter picked her up to take her to a doctor's appointment.

"She would visit me (often), and I looked forward to seeing her," Johnson said. "She didn't let on that there was anything wrong."

Sacramento, CA: Police say love triangle led to CA murder-suicide

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Police say a man caught up in a love triangle shot himself to death after killing the treasurer of a remote-controlled airplane club who was allegedly having an affair with his estranged wife.

Before turning the gun on himself, 73-year-old Robert Gully chased the woman from a parking lot into the lobby of a building where the club was meeting, firing several times but missing, Sacramento police Sgt. Andrew Pettit said Wednesday.

"I was shocked when I knew the suspect was in his 70s and the victim was in his 60s," Pettit said.

Police said Gully and 62-year-old Jerome Votaw of Sacramento were both romantically involved with the 49-year-old woman, whose name was not released.

he woman was married to Gully, and both also were members of the club, but they were separated. Pettit did not know if she was living with Votaw.

"They were definitely in a relationship," he said. "As far as living together, I can't confirm that."

A person who answered the telephone at Votaw's home said the woman who lived there wasn't taking any calls.

Gully got into an argument Tuesday with Votaw and the woman in the parking lot, drew a gun and shot Votaw multiple times before trying to shoot the woman, Pettit said. He kept firing as the woman ran to the lobby, with bullets shattering a large glass door.

"It appears that it wasn't random, it wasn't just something he came upon," Pettit said when asked if the shooting was spontaneous.

A security guard was in the lobby, and about a half-dozen airplane modelers club members were in a conference room and came into the lobby after the shooting took place.

Pettit credited the club's president with calming Gully down and walking him back outside the building.

"From what I understand, he did a fantastic job. He was in there taking a lead on this and directing people what to do in that situation," Pettit said.

Police, however, heard Gully shoot and kill himself as they arrived.

"It could have been a lot worse, especially with the people in there if he started shooting innocent bystanders," Pettit said. "We believe those two were his intended targets."

The club's website identifies the president as John Bigwood, who declined comment when reached by telephone.

Gully. a resident of West Sacramento, and Votaw were both part of the 200-member Sacramento Area Modelers club, which bills itself on its website as offering one of the premier flying sites on the West Coast. Its facility southeast of Sacramento features a pit area and runway, snack bar and clubhouse made from a converted semi-trailer.

Vice President J.R. Schiager and the club's secretary, Bob Calvert, said they did not want to discuss the attack.

"I think what's been reported is pretty accurate," Calvert said.

Members of the club fly large, radio-controlled model airplanes and meet monthly at the headquarters of the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District, a large, customer-owned electric company.

Members were seen Wednesday retrieving their model aircraft from the building.

The utility is looking into its policy on permitting private groups to use its facilities, Utility district spokeswoman Dace Udris said. No employees were involved in the incident, she said.

Minneapolis, MN: Charges: Jealous husband attacked with hammer

Minneapolis, Minn. —
A jealous husband donned a mask and used a hammer to hit his wife, another man, and his wife's two teenage daughters in the head before calling 911 to report the assault, according to criminal charges filed Wednesday.

Brian Daniel Freeman, 29, of Ceylon, was charged in Faribault County with one count of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder for Monday's home invasion in Blue Earth that killed Christopher Michael Fulmer, 37.

Freeman's wife, Candice Marie Freeman, 38, and her two teen daughters, ages 15 and 19, suffered life-threatening injuries and had multiple skull fractures. Doctors said it appeared the 15-year-old was struck while she was sleeping.

Brian Freeman was in custody and bail was set at $2 million during a court appearance Wednesday.

According to a criminal complaint, a masked man entered the house where Fulmer was staying early Monday and began assaulting the occupants. Authorities said they got a call about 12:30 a.m. from a man who said something about a murder. The dispatcher heard screaming.
Authorities found Fulmer in bed in an upstairs bedroom, dead, and lying on his back with significant head trauma. Candice Freeman was found on the same bed, injured and pleading for help, the complaint said.



The 19-year-old was found upstairs and her injuries were so severe she could not be interviewed. The 15-year-old told authorities she woke up when she heard her sister screaming and went upstairs to find her mother fighting with a man in dark clothing. The 15-year-old said her head hurt.



The Freemans have a 6-year-old daughter together, and she was not injured.
According to the complaint, Freeman told authorities he drove to Blue Earth on Sunday night and parked near the house, then eventually walked inside with a hammer and went to an upstairs bedroom.

"Freeman said that he couldn't really remember the specifics of what then occurred but he believed that he struck Chris Fulmer in the head with the hammer several times," the complaint said. Fulmer allegedly told authorities he believed his wife was injured because she was near Fulmer and "got caught in the crossfire."

When asked how the teens were hurt, he suggested they came up behind him during the attack and were somehow hit. Freeman said that after the attack he used a cellphone to call 911, then left.

He told authorities he threw the hammer out the window while driving home, the complaint said.
Freeman's attorney, Bill Grogin, said he'll seek a written transcript of that interview. He said he met with his client briefly. "He was obviously very nervous and very concerned about the charges against him," Grogin said.

The landlord of the property told police Fulmer had said he was dating a married woman and the husband was jealous. He said the woman had been staying with Fulmer for several months.
When Freeman was first interviewed, he told investigators he and Candice were not having problems and Candice was at Fulmer's because he was a friend and they had a child about the same age. Authorities examined his text messages and found one sent to his wife that said: "R U Leving me for someone else.

Authorities found two masks in Freeman's vehicle. They also watched as he put a garbage bag in his car, and later found that it held clothing that contained human blood.

County Attorney Troy Timmerman said he's impressed that law enforcement started out this case with multiple victims and an unknown masked assailant, and ultimately had a suspect in custody within 24 hours.

Raytown, MO: Missouri man admits killing wife in 2010

RAYTOWN, Mo. (AP) — A Raytown man says he smoked crack cocaine for a week before killing his wife in 2010.

Forty-five-year-old LaRay Jenkins pleaded guilty Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the 2010 death of his wife, Diana Jenkins.

As part of a plea agreement, Jenkins was sentenced to 15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and three years for armed criminal action. The sentences will be served concurrently.

Diana Jenkins was found dead at the couple’s home on March 25, 2010. Officers went to the couple’s home twice that day before she called police and said her husband had shot her.

The Kansas City Star reports (http://bit.ly/xdwuYW) that court documents say Jenkins told police he had been smoking crack for a week before the shooting.

Los Angeles, CA: Man charged with kidnapping, girlfriend's murder in deadly pursuit

LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles man who allegedly forced his girlfriend into an SUV and then led police on a chase that ended with a head-on collision that killed the mother of three made his first court appearance today and was ordered to remain jailed without bail pending arraignment March 7.
Jeffrey Minifie, 39, is charged in the death of 36-year-old Lillian Janeth Pleitez-Duarte, who was fatally injured when a GMC Yukon he was driving west on Sixth Street in the Westlake district crashed head-on into an eastbound Volvo about 8:10 a.m. last Thursday.
The murder count includes the special circumstance allegation of murder during a kidnapping, which makes Minifie eligible for a death sentence if convicted.
Prosecutors will decide later whether to pursue capital punishment for Minifie, who is also charged with one count each of kidnapping and evading an officer causing injury.
Minifie allegedly forced his girlfriend into his vehicle, made a U-turn when he saw police responding to another call and veered into oncoming traffic as police began to chase the SUV, according to the District Attorney's Office.
The Volvo's driver was also hurt in the collision, authorities said.

Article: New Law Forces Local Murderer to Register With Police

A local parolee convicted of murder has registered with Tinley Park police in compliance with a new law that took effect Jan. 1, 2012.

Andrea’s Law, named after Andrea Willis, an Eastern Illinois University student killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1998, creates a first-degree murderer database, similar to the Illinois Sex Offender Registry. The database also includes those convicted of general violent crimes against youth.

Willis' ex-boyfriend, Justin Boulay, formerly of St. Charles, was convicted of strangling the 19-year-old Batavia woman to death while both were students at EIU. Boulay was sentenced to 24 years in prison before a change to the state’s “Truth in Sentencing” system that required those convicted of crimes to serve 85 percent of court-imposed sentences.

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Under Andrea’s Law, convicted offenders are required to be on the Illinois Murderers and Violent Offenders Youth Registry for 10 years upon their release from prison.

According to police reports, Tinley Park resident Michael Nolan, 57, is among that group. Now a resident of the 17100 block of 71st Avenue, he was convicted in 1981 of two counts of murder with intent to kill or injure, according to Illinois State Police. He was released and granted parole in 2007.

Nolan was 20 years old at the time of the offense — November 1974 — and his female victim, who was also his girlfriend, was 17, according to state records. The murder reportedly occurred in Chicago.

The registry lists Nolan as “compliant.” That means that since the new year, he's stopped at the Tinley Park police station to register as an Illinois murderer. An officer makes a copy of offenders' state IDs during the process, completes required registration forms and forwards information to investigators.

State Rep. Dennis Reboletti (R-Elmhurst) sponsored Andrea’s Law, which was signed into law by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn last July, as reported by Batavia Patch.

At the time the bill was introduced in the state house, Reboletti said, “We currently have the right to know when a convicted sexual offender moves into our neighborhood and it should be the same for someone convicted of murder.”

Easthampton, MA: DA: Murder was case of domestic violence

EASTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - The District Attorney's Office is calling the death of Jessica Ann Pripstein a "tragic case of domestic violence." But according to witnesses, she sensed before she died that her boyfriend was acting strange.

A witness told state police that on the night before Jessica was killed, she expressed some concern over the way her boyfriend was acting.

According to statistics from the Jane Doe Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, very few victims of domestic violence homicide ever seek help until it's tragically too late.

It is estimated that one in three women and one in ten men will experience sexual assault, stalking or domestic violence. “If you are having that gut feeling, even if you're just wondering, even if it's not really domestic violence as it turns out, it's better to call,” said Marianne Winters, Executive Director of Safe Passage, Inc.

Under arrest for Pripstein's murder is her boyfriend, 36 year old Ryan Welch. From his hospital room he pleaded not guilty Wednesday afternoon.

He is being held without bail until his court appearance on March 16. Investigators told 22News that upon entering Jessica's apartment at 27 Ward Avenue, they found three-edged weapons and discovered some of the doors had been barricaded with furniture.

We are also learning new information about Jessica's last moments alive. Her last words to a 911 dispatcher were, "Oh my God...please." Following the call, police arrived at Pripstein's apartment to discover her lifeless body.

Fort Lee, NJ: Rocky relationship, tragic end: Boyfriend charged in Fort Lee killing known for angry outbursts

The ups and downs of Aena Hong’s tumultuous relationship with Charles J. Ann were clear to virtually anyone who came into passing contact with the young couple.


DON SMITH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Law enforcement officers leave the building where Aena Hong lived.

BERGEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
Charles Ann is accused of repeatedly running over the woman, Aena Hong.
Hong and Ann recently signed a lease on a one-bedroom apartment in a Fort Lee high-rise. But a doorman at the building recalled witnessing a physical altercation between the two, and a neighbor said Hong backed out of the living arrangement. A teacher at the language school where Hong was taking classes said Ann stormed into a classroom one day and angrily tossed an envelope stuffed with money on the table in front of her.

Still, one woman who knew Hong and Ann said she had seen the pair holding hands as recently as a couple of days ago.

The rocky relationship ended brutally Monday afternoon, authorities said, when Ann got into his car and deliberately ran Hong over as she was crossing a Fort Lee street. He drove back and forth over her body several times before fleeing to Queens, where he was arrested the following morning, authorities said.

Ann, 26, is now in custody awaiting extradition to Bergen County, where he faces murder charges. Those who knew Hong, 25, are grieving the loss of a young woman whom they described as sweet, friendly and an excellent student.

Authorities said Ann and Hong were arguing as they walked on the sidewalk on Inwood Terrace outside the Jack Alter Fort Lee Community Center around 5 p.m. Monday. Ann got into his car, a 2011 Hyundai Sonata, and drove away, but John L. Higgins III, the first assistant Bergen County prosecutor, said he turned around, cutting through a parking lot, and returned to Inwood Terrace, where he came to a complete stop. When Hong stepped into the street to cross it, Ann rapidly accelerated and struck her, Higgins said.

“Once she fell to the ground, he drove over her and drove back over her approximately three times,” Higgins said.

Ann fled and abandoned the car, which investigators found on 10th Avenue a few hours after the attack, authorities said. Accident investigators determined that the Hyundai, registered to Ann, was the car that had struck and killed Hong, whom police found gravely injured in the middle of the road after receiving several 911 calls from distraught eyewitnesses.

One of them, Nazaret Manoukian, who lives across from the community center, had just gotten out of his car and witnessed a scene he described bluntly as “horrifying.”

“It happened in front of me,” he said. “The guy ran over the girl. He backed up again. It happened really quick.”

After the car struck her a third time, the driver drove onto the sidewalk and briefly got stuck, Manoukian said.

The driver, he said, appeared to be on a mission “to finish her.”

Hong was taken to Holy Name Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead just before 6 p.m.

Investigators tracked Ann, an unemployed Bergen Community College student, to a friend’s apartment in the Flushing section of Queens, where he was arrested around 4 a.m. Tuesday. He was charged with first-degree murder and was being held in Queens on $3 million bail. Prosecutors said they are waiting on an extradition waiver from New York.